Automatic Port Configuration for Dell EMC Networking N-Series Switches Dell EMC Networking Solutions Engineering May 2017 Revisions Date Description Authors May 2017 Initial Release v1.0 Victor Teeter, Ravindra Kadiyala, Asha Chen-Phang THIS WHITE PAPER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND MAY CONTAIN TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND TECHNICAL INACCURACIES. THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITHOUT EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved. Except as stated below, no part of this document may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without express permission of Dell. You may distribute this document within your company or organization only, without alteration of its contents. THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED “AS-IS”, AND WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED. 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Dell disclaims proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. 2 Automatic Port Configuration for Dell Networking N-Series | v1.0 Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Purpose of this document ................................................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Supported switches ............................................................................................................................................. 6 1.3 Attachable IP devices .......................................................................................................................................... 6 2 Understanding CLI macros ........................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Built-in macros ..................................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Passing parameters .......................................................................................................................................... 11 2.3 Custom macros ................................................................................................................................................. 12 3 Creating the Auto Port Profile scripting tool ................................................................................................................ 15 3.1 Py (Python) script file: autoport.py ................................................................................................................... 16 3.2 PRM (parameter) file: autoport.prm ................................................................................................................. 25 4 Applying and executing the Python script (with PRM file) .......................................................................................... 27 4.1 Validating script behavior .................................................................................................................................. 28 5 Disabling the script ...................................................................................................................................................... 29 6 Auto Port Profile script flowchart ................................................................................................................................. 30 7 Troubleshooting .......................................................................................................................................................... 31 8 Best practices and tips ................................................................................................................................................ 34 8.1 Planning and creating scripts ............................................................................................................................ 34 8.2 Testing scripts ................................................................................................................................................... 34 8.3 Deploying and maintaining scripts .................................................................................................................... 35 9 Command quick reference .......................................................................................................................................... 36 A Glossary of Terms ....................................................................................................................................................... 37 B Device identification using LLDP ................................................................................................................................ 38 C Additional Resources .................................................................................................................................................. 40 D Support and Feedback ................................................................................................................................................ 41 3 Automatic Port Configuration for Dell Networking N-Series | v1.0 Executive Summary Within an autonomous network, administrators are often responsible for dozens of network switches and hundreds of network ports. Each port can provide network connectivity to one of many device types including laptops, servers, storage, wireless access points (AP), IP phones, cameras, clocks, printers, lights, controllers, monitors, sensors, routers, and other switches. Each device type typically requires a different set of commands to configure the port in which the device is plugged in. The majority of ports in a switch are typically used and it is the responsibility of the network administrator to provide and maintain the proper configuration for the switch and each port. This guide provides an efficient method of automating Dell EMC Networking N-Series switches to detect devices being plugged into those switches. The method further allows the switches to automatically configure the corresponding ports for those devices. This Auto Port Profile feature allows for minimal effort on the part of the network administrator when attaching devices, while decreasing the chance of human error. 4 Automatic Port Configuration for Dell Networking N-Series | v1.0 1 Introduction This document is a supplement to the Dell EMC Networking N-Series User Guides listed in the Additional Resources section on page 38. The step-by-step instructions provide examples to help network administrators configure Dell EMC Networking N-Series switches to detect when devices are being plugged into a switch, then automatically configures the corresponding ports for those devices. Two existing Dell EMC Networking N-Series features, Python scripting and CLI macros, are joined to implement this efficient method of automatic port provisioning. Python scripting Dell EMC Networking N-Series switches with firmware 6.3.x.x and later support installation and execution of Python applications